Tire protector



Jan. 16, 1923.A

A. GRILLI. T l RE PROTECTOR FILED DEC. 8, L92] INVENTOR. HWF/@Z0 'FZ'ZZI) ATTORNEY.

Patented dan. i6, 1923..

're stars dNCErIElL() GRILJI, OF MILYVAUKEE, VIISCONSIN.

TIRE PROTECTOR.

Application filed December 8, 1921. Serial No. 520,800.

To ,all 107mm, 25 may concern.' I

lle it. known that l, Anciano Gniim, formerly a subject of the ling oi l-taly, having takenvout first papers l r citizenship ot the United States Ame ica, residing iilrfaukee, in the countyr or lililwaulree State ot l/Visconsin, have invented a ./-eitain new and useful improvement in Tire Protectors, ot which the 'following .is a tull, clear, concise, and exact description, retiren/:e being had to the accompanying` drawings, tmiining a part ot this specification.

This inventionjrelates to tire protectors.

Une object of the presentinventionis the provision ot av novel assemblage of metallic units ldesigned to produce a substantially continuous flexible covering for the tread and side Walls ot the tire to prot-ect it against punctures and other wear and tear Without intertcring` with the natural cushioning qualities thereof.

Vlnotho-x object is generally to improve tilt? will oi' t iis character.

ltlicr objects and advantages will hereint'i'er appear. y

lilinbodiinents ot' this invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:

"e l is side elevation, partly in ot a 'tire f n'otector constriucted in dance with the present invention.

is a sectional view, on a somearger scale, tal-:en substantially on the 2-2 oi `Figure l. p

Figure 3 is a perspective view ot one ot the units employed.

Figure e is a perspective view ot another ot the units.

Figures 5 and 6 are sectional views of units having anti-slid treads.

Figure 7 is a fragmentary view oi a tire protector ot somewhat different form einbodying Afeatures of the present invention.

lnigure S a perspective View of a unit employed in the tire protector ot fi `igure i'.

The tire protectork illustrated in Figures l. to et comprises a series oi metallic units l0-l0.- connected to 'form a substantially continuous tleXible cover enveloping `the tread and side Walls ot a pneumatic tire ll of standard.construction. erably longitudinally curved and transversely arched to snugly embrace the tire,

the side Walls l2 of each, preterably extendtruction und operation ot devices- Each unit is preting somewhat above the center of' the tire and slightly contracted, as shown in Figure 2, so as to cling thereto. The end portions of' each unit 1 are preferably reduced to provide arcuate tongues 13 shaped to loosely engage within arcuate -curfs .i4- 'formed in the ends ot the intermediate units l0. rFliesecom iections are such as to permit a slight endwise as well as lateral play between the several units to permit the units-to automatically adjust themselves to changes in the contour Vof the tire. I

The several units are maintained in assembled relation, preferably by a pair ot livirings l5, threaded through ears 16, carried by the nuits. A pair of ears l@ are provided on each unit, `these ears being` termed as integral partscf the sidefwalls thereof and extending upwardly therefrom. il. series ot' collec springs l? carried by each ywire l5 and interposed between the ears lo oi" adjacent units yieldably maintain the units in proper end to end relation. @ne end ot each Wire l5 is bent to provide an eye lll tor receiving the other threaded end lll thereof, the joint thus formed being secured by a' pair ot units 20 carried by the threaded end il) and engagingY the opposite sides ot the eye ld.

The several units may be of the same or different lengths and they may have smooth exterior surfaces or roughened surfaces to increase the traction or to avoid skidding. The unit shown in .Figure 5, for instance, is provided with rounded projections 2l, such as might be found useful when driving over dirt roads, While that shown in Figure 6 is provided with pointed projections 22 particularly useful in driving through ice and snovv.

The tire protector illustrated in Figures 7 and 8 is similar in many respects to that hereinabove described. In this instance, however, the several units 23 are of substantially identical form. Each is reduced at one end to `form an arcuate tongue 24. ivhile the other end is curted, as at to' looselyv receive the tongue ot the next adjacent unit. Each of these units is also provided with ears 25 for receiving Wire rings 26, such as those above described, for retainingl the units in assembled relation.v Springs 2T are also employed to yieidably maintain proper spacing of the units.

Thus it will be noted that the tire protectors described offer goed protection tor the tread as Well as the side Walls of the tire. In fact, so large a portion of the tire is covered as to render the tire practically bullet proof so that these protectors may be found particularly useful to the Government 'for War purposes.

At the same time, the connections between units are such as to permit suliicient iiexibility so that the natural cushioning qualities of the tire are not impaired. Furthermore, by the use of the tongue and groove connections between units, sand and grit is effectively excluded from the interior of the protector.

Various changes may be made in the embodiments of the invention hereinabove described, Without departing from or sacrificing any of the advantages oi' the invention as defined inthe appended claims.

I claim:

l. A tire protector comprising a circular series of units shaped to snugly embrace the tread and side Walls of. a tire, tongue and groove connections between said units providing a substantially continuous enveloping ring for the tire and permitting`r relative longitudinal and transverse play between units, means including a Closed ring connected with each of said several units for maintain ing said units in assembled relation, and resilient spacer means carried by said ring for yieldably maintainingsaid units in proper end to end relation.`

2. A tire protector comprising a circular series of units7 each unit shaped to embrace the tread and side Walls of a tire and having upstanding ears,`tongue and groove connections between said units providing a substantiallyi continuous but fiexihle enveloping ring for the tire7 means including aiieXible closed ring extending through said ears to maintain said units in assembled relation, andv resilient means carried'by said ring and interposed between the ears of adjacent units to maintain said units in proper end to end relation. i

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 6th dayof December, 1921.

` ANGELO GniLLi. 

